About Me

I am an antique textile dealer and also make things from a variety of my textiles,usually things that are distressed and can be recycled to extend their life and enjoy their beauty or workmanship.
I buy antique quilts exstensively ,log cabin pattern is my favourite. "Paisley" shawls are another passion of mine,even the damaged ones find a good home with me! love the colours, so rich.
I have a soft spot for anything in wool, must be my Northern roots and upbringing,Blankets, sweaters, tweeds and felts , the more rustic the better.
Lizzy and I share a love of French linen and textiles and have a joint collection , " Franglais " which we source together on our travels, bedlinens , soft furnishings , sheets for curtains , the more rustic the better we like them Handwoven linens and hemps from the 19th cent. wonderful shirts and chemises.

Thursday, 19 March 2009

I had a lovely day out at Tingleton with my Spinners group yesterday. This time Tessa was the hostess and lives in the most gorgeous converted barn, She and Micheal have hundreds of happy chickens out in their Christmas tree woods. We were treated to a lovely scented log burning at the same time as being able to enjoy the sunshine streaming in the open door, still frosty hereabouts at night .

Jane one of our group is a clever lady and one of her talents is framing, so I enlisted her professional eye to get the mounts right for my redwork and she has framed a couple for me . So yesterday She brought them to the meeting.... thank you I think you got it just right Jane

I now have a commission to do Tessa's flock of geese.

To carry on with the poultry theme ..I awoke the other morning to an unusual sound given I live right in the center of Dorchester!! quacking , my visitor is a mallard perched on the very high creeper covered back fence swaying and shouting to her mate who was in the gym carpark.

I am told they regularly decamp up here each spring . How sweet, I do miss my birds at Muckleford.

Monday, 16 March 2009

This Friday evening will see Lizzie and me on the road to Portsmouth to board the Bretagne to Brittany again. We have another super deal. Overnight with a cabin and looking forward as always to a fantastic dinner.

We have a better idea of where we are going this time so hope to arrive in the center of Fougeres in time for Lunch with Nick and Ticky, I am working my way through an ex-pats shopping list! Warbatons crumpets mmmm.

As the Ferry times have changed since our last trip we have a night in St Malo and a day trip home on the Sunday. We have booked into the Hotel Ibis , we have had good experiences with this chain , very good value ..clean which is more than you can say about our British travel lodges ! and the food if they have restaurants is excellent. After a long days driving a rummaging it's nice to relax and have everything you need at your Hotel.

We had spotted a few more places to explore on our way back to the port last time and as we don't have a boat to catch we have the prospect of maybe a few new finds.

Sunday, 15 March 2009

This was the second one and she had filled the place with a wonderful variety of stall holders, including a fair number of her textile ladies.

I have done a lot of Sheila's textile fairs and they have always been a pleasure. Stress free and fun and very popular with us all. Sheila really works hard for her stall holders and promotes her events at every opportunity. If you have not tried one yet do so.